THE owner of a York gift shop for cat lovers has created a video version of its York Cat Trail for tourists who can’t visit the city because of the lockdown.
Peter Hanson, who runs The Cat Gallery in Low Petergate, donned running gear and Go Pro camera and jogged through the city centre to show most of the 23 cat statues which sit on the sides of buildings.
He said:” In line with Government advice we have had to shut our shop, but I wanted to do something that might ultimately have a beneficial effect for York.
“We clearly don’t want people to come and do the trail right now, but we do want to whet their appetite for later in the year when, hopefully, lockdown is lifted, and I thought it would be a nice idea to ‘take York to the rest of the world’ through the medium of our York Cat Trail.”
He said he already had still images of the cats from a photoshoot in 2018 and he combined them with the video to create the trail, adding a commentary to match the images.
“One of the most striking aspects is the beauty of York with empty streets, but also how eerie it looks/feels without thousands of people enjoying our beautiful city. I was mindful of social distancing during the run and was out of the house for just 45 minutes as we only live ¾ of a mile from the shop.”
He said the trail followed the route of the shop’s cat trail leaflet which is normally used by thousands of customers each year on a walk around the city, and which is being redesigned.
He added that although the shop was closed, its website remained open 24/7 and was fulfilling orders as fast as Royal Mail would permit, and he was investigating the feasibility of click and collect from the store.
He said sculptures of cats had been on buildings in York since 1920, when Sir Stephen Aitcheson placed two on a building he owned in Low Ousegate and local architect Tom Adams resurrected the idea n 1979 by placing them on buildings he designed, with sculptor Jonathon Newdick bringing them to life.
*To see the cat trail video, go to: https://youtu.be/XcAH4OMPlDs
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel